


Don't Matter

by Ot3srock



Series: Hotch being a dad to Spencer [4]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Adoption, Autistic Spencer Reid, Dad Hotch, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Foster Care, Foster Family, Found Family, Hurt Derek Morgan, Hurt Spencer Reid, Kid Spencer Reid, M/M, Papa Rossi, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Protective Derek, Sad Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid Whump, Team as Family, Worried Derek Morgan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ot3srock/pseuds/Ot3srock
Summary: "Nobody wanna see us togetherBut it don't matter, no('cause I got you)"-AkonOr,Dave and Aaron take in two kids from Dave's last case.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner & Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid & David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/David Rossi, Derek Morgan & David Rossi, Spencer Reid & David Rossi
Series: Hotch being a dad to Spencer [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747447
Comments: 101
Kudos: 663





	1. The Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I got the title from Akon's "Don't Matter". Enjoy!

When Aaron Hotchner got the call about the two kids, he was groggy, having fallen asleep at his desk working on finishing the paperwork for his upcoming trial. His phone rang, effectively waking him up. He blindly reached for his phone with one hand, rubbing at his eyes with the other.

“Hotchner,” he grumbled into the phone.

“Aaron.” The voice of his partner came from the other end and woke Hotch up. David wouldn’t be calling at three am if something bad hadn’t happened. “I know it’s early, but I need to ask your permission for something,” Dave spoke. That was weird. David never asked his permission unless it would directly affect him.

“Okay,” Aaron replied skeptically, sitting up and wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

“We just finished a child abduction case. The unsub was keeping children in the basement,” Dave explained. “We got most of the children back to their parents. Except for two. Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid. They were between foster homes at the time of their kidnapping and there isn’t a next of kin listed in their files.” Aaron sighed heavily, knowing what the other man was getting at and also knowing that Dave had his mind set and no one could change it.

“You want us to take them in, don’t you?” Aaron asked, already sure of the answer.

“I can’t just let them spend the night in a holding cell and be put back in an overcrowded group home for the rest of their lives. They spent God knows how long in a dingy attic. I’m not going to make them go through that for one more second,” Dave defended. Aaron had to chuckle at his partner’s determined tone.

“I hear you, Dave. I think this is the opportunity we’ve been looking for,” Aaron spoke as his form of agreement. The two men had just become certified foster parents the week before and were planning to look at kids over the weekend.

“Thank you, Aaron. I’ll be home in an hour.” With that, Dave hung up and Aaron sighed, shaking his head. The kids had to be traumatised, so this wouldn’t be easy and while he’d never claim to be fully prepared for fatherhood, he knew he’d do whatever it took to make these kids feel loved and safe. Aaron rubbed at his eyes and closed the file he’d been looking at(read: sleeping on) and went to set up the guest room for the kids. He changed the sheets for protection and set out some books in case they got bored or couldn’t sleep. He also set a glass of water on each of the two bedside tables in case the kids got thirsty during the night. He fluffed the pillows again and laid out some of his old shirts before heading to bed himself, thoroughly exhausted. He changed into pajamas and lazily brushed his teeth before climbing under the covers and was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

~~~

Dave hung up and let out a huge sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected Aaron to agree so quickly, though it _was_ three in the morning. He turned back to the two kids huddled together on the small couch in his office, crouching in front of them.

“Alright, he said yes. Are you ready to go?” he asked. Derek looked skeptical.

“He agreed to taking in two kids that easily?” he questioned, eyebrows furrowed. Dave nodded.

“He’s a very supportive partner,” he explained.

“What kind of partner is he?” Spencer asked quietly, still afraid to speak to the man. Dave turned to look at him and Spencer flinched back so Dave tried to make his face as non-threatening as possible.

“He’s my husband,” Dave answered truthfully. No point in lying, they were gonna find out anyway. “Is that alright?” Both boys looked taken aback by the fact that he had asked, but then nodded. Dave smiled and stood up, holding his hand out for Derek to take. The boy did and he and Spencer slid off the couch and followed their new foster parent out of the room.

“Did you know that in 1973, Maryland made a law that said marriage was between a man and a woman?” Spencer started. Dave nodded, intrigued. “Four other states passed the same law: Virginia in 1975 and Florida, California, and Wyoming in 1977. But then California went back on the law in-” Derek cut him off.

“Spence. Spence. I’m sure he knows already. He doesn’t need you to tell him,” the older boy told the younger, though not in a harsh way. Spencer nodded, quickly shutting his mouth.

“Sorry,” he told Dave.

“Actually, I didn’t know that. Why don’t you tell me?” the man asked. Spencer’s eyes lit up and he started rambling again. Dave noticed the confused look in Derek’s eyes, but instead focused on what Spencer was saying.

“California kinda went back on the law in 1989 when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that allowed unmarried couples to apply for domestic partnership so they could see their partners if they were ever in the hospital. D.C. did the same thing in 1992 and in 1993, Hawaii decided that not allowing homosexual couples to get married was against their Equal Protection Act. In response, President Clinton signed off on the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 that said only heterosexual couples could get federal benefits. In the 2000s, a few states started to legalise gay marriage. They were Vermont in 2000, Massachusetts in 2003, and Connecticut, Iowa, and New Hampshire near the end of the decade. Then, in 2010, Edith Windsor sued the courts for not letting her be tax exempt after receiving her lover’s estate. Then, the Obama administration said that they weren’t going to approve DOMA anymore and the act didn’t have any grounds anymore. Edith won and knocked out one of the subsections of DOMA, with the Obergefell v. Hodges case knocking out the rest of it.” Spencer paused, stopping in place. The older two also stopped, both looking at him expectantly. “Mr. Rossi? Can I use the bathroom before we leave?” he inquired, the hand not holding Derek’s fiddling with the hem of his dirty shirt.

“Sure, kiddo,” Dave agreed, turning and heading in the direction of the bathroom. When they got there, he looked to Derek. “Do you need to go, too?” Derek gave a noncommittal shrug but headed in after Spencer. When they came back, Dave led them out to his car. On the flight back to Quantico, he’d called and asked one of the other agents to pick up a carseat for him and had paid her back. He buckled Spencer into the carseat, letting Derek buckle himself, before getting into the front seat and heading for home.

On the twenty minute trip there, both boys fell asleep and Dave parked and got out of the car, waking Derek gently before going to lift Spencer from his carseat, waking the boy a bit. Dave held Spencer on his hip and with his other hand held Derek’s. When they got to the front door, Dave fished his keys from his pocket, trying not to jostle the boy on his hip too much, and unlocked the door, looking around. He smiled. Aaron had left the light on for them.

At a yawn from Derek, he was snapped back to the matter at hand: getting these kids in bed. He was sure that they’d need a bath, but that could wait until tomorrow. He led the kids up the stairs and to the guest room, not really wanting to keep these kids from sleep, but knowing he’d need to change the sheets from when his mother had visited last weekend. Needless to say, he was thoroughly surprised to see the room set up already. There were books and glasses of water on both nightstands and fresh sheets on the bed. There were even old shirts laid out for the boys.

“Alright. Let’s get you set up, yeah?” Dave put Spencer down on the edge of the bed, where the boy sat sleepily. “Can you get dressed or do you want me to help?” he asked the boys. Derek looked at him for a moment, then motioned for the man to turn around. Dave did and waited until he heard the rustling of sheets that told him Derek was climbing in bed. Sure enough, when he turned, Derek was lying under the sheets and Spencer was holding his small arms out to Dave. Dave complied, tugging Spencer’s shirt off of him. He replaced it with the old shirt and then took off the boy’s shoes and socks before looking at him.

“Is it alright if I take off your jeans, Spencer?” Dave asked. Spencer nodded.

“I’ll unbutton and unzip them?” he asked, brown eyes expectant. Dave nodded and Spencer set to work, small fingers struggling slightly with lack of fine motor skills and tiredness, but he eventually got the button and zipper undone.

“Okay. Stand up for just a second, alright?” Spencer did, and as Rossi slipped the pants off his tiny legs, he noticed Derek eyeing him suspiciously, making sure he wouldn’t hurt the boy. Dave lifted the boy out of his pants and placed them with the rest of his clothes that were to be washed. He then laid Spencer down under the covers and tucked them both in before grabbing the pile of clothes and starting to leave.

“Mr. Rossi?” he heard Spencer squeak.

“Yeah, kiddo?” He opened the door to see the kid sitting up.

“Can you leave a light on? I don’t like the dark.”

“Sure. I’ll leave the hall light on and the door open, okay?” Dave offered. Spencer nodded. “I’ll turn on the light in the bathroom, too, if you need.” Spencer nodded again before settling down.

“G’night, Mr. Rossi,” he mumbled.

“Night, kiddo.” With that, Rossi left, turning on the hall and bathroom lights and putting the clothes in the washer, thankful that it was a quiet machine. Once he was sure that everything that could be done was done, he headed to bed, seeing Aaron already asleep. He kissed the man’s cheek and got ready for bed himself, falling asleep within minutes of laying down.


	2. The Good Guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave, Aaron, Spencer, and Derek go to the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long, but I started summer classes this week. I still worked on this every day, though. So here's 4,255 words of fluff, cuteness, and slight angst.

Aaron woke up to his husband next to him and smiled, leaning over to kiss the man’s cheek before getting out of bed and getting ready, wanting to make breakfast for the man on his weekend off. As he passed the guest room, he heard a small whimper and startled, then remembered the events of the previous night and felt his shoulders untense. He peeked in the door. The books and water had gone untouched and the two boys in the center of the bed appeared to be sleeping soundly, curled around each other. He smiled and left the room, turning off the light in the hallway and bathroom since it was morning and continued his trek downstairs, gathering the ingredients to make pancakes.

He’d admit that Dave was the cook in the house, but that didn’t mean Aaron couldn’t make some things himself, just a lot less fancy than his husband. A half hour into the process, the two boys stumbled down the stairs, looking confused to see him.

“Where’s Mr. Rossi?” the older boy asked, sleep still evident in his eyes and voice.

“He’s upstairs sleeping,” Aaron told him, then, not knowing how he’d been introduced to the kids, treaded lightly with his next sentence. “I’m his partner, Aaron.” At that, the younger one perked up.

“You’re Mr. Rossi’s husband?” he questioned, the hand not intertwined with the older boy’s rubbing at his right eye. Aaron let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and came around the counter to kneel in front of them.

“Yes, I am. What are your names?”

“I’m Derek and this is Spencer,” the older boy informed. Aaron nodded.

“It’s nice to meet you. Do you like pancakes?”

“What are pancakes?” Derek asked. Aaron opened his mouth to answer, but Spencer beat him to it.

“Pancakes are thin, flat cakes of batter, usually fried or turned in a pan. Pancakes are usually eaten with syrup or rolled up with a filling,” he relayed. “I’ve never had them before. Are they good?”

“Yeah. I think so. Do you want to try some?” The boys both nodded and Aaron led them over to the counter above the oven and helped them onto the stools there before going back to the stove and continuing his recipe. When the first pancake was done, he grabbed two plates and split it in quarters, giving the boys one quarter each as a test. They ate the food cautiously, looking at Aaron to see if he would change his mind and hurt them. It made Aaron’s heart clench. What had happened to them?

“C-can we have more?” Derek asked quietly.

“Yeah, sure. You guys can have as many as you’d like,” Aaron agreed, giving them the other quarters before starting to make some small pancakes for the boys. A little while later, Dave came down the stairs.

“Pancakes? Yum.” He wrapped his arms around Aaron’s waist and kissed his cheek, earning a giggle from the two boys at the counter. “Good morning, boys. How’d you sleep?” Dave greeted.

“We slept well, Mr. Rossi. How did you sleep?” Derek replied.

“Like a rock.” At that, Spencer looked confused.

“But rocks don’t sleep.”

“It’s just an expression, Spence,” Aaron told him. The boy nodded.

“Okay.” Aaron made Dave a few pancakes and Dave sat next to the boys, on the other side of Spencer and ate his own pancakes.

“Do you guys want any more?” Aaron asked the boys. They shook their heads and Aaron cleared away their plates and made his own plate of pancakes, sitting next to Derek. “Do you guys want something to drink? Water? Milk? Juice?”

“Do you have soy milk?” Spencer inquired, fidgeting with his hands.

“Are you allergic to milk?”

“No. Just intolerant. It hurts my tummy.”

“Okay. We don’t have any, but we can pick some up from the store,” Aaron offered. Spencer nodded.

“Do you have juice?”

“Yep. We have orange juice and apple juice.”

“Can I have apple juice?”

“Sure.” Aaron got up to grab the drink. “Derek, do you want something?”

“Um, can I just have water?” the boy requested. Aaron nodded and grabbed two plastic cups that were used for when his nephew, Jack, came over. He filled them with the different liquids and handed the cups to the boys. Spencer took his in both hands and sipped slowly, staring at Aaron over the top of his cup. Derek cautiously took his cup, eyes bouncing between Aaron and Dave anxiously. Aaron tried to show them they were allowed with just his eyes. He gave a little nod and both the boys gave little smiles back and drank their drinks.

“I have a plan for today,” Dave announced, turning the boys’ attention to him. “I think a bath after you’re done with your drinks and then we do a little shopping. Does that sound alright?”

“I guess,” Derek answered. “What are you shopping for?”

“ _We_ are going shopping for clothes and supplies for you guys. Also some food, too,” Dave informed.

“Clothes?” Derek asked, confusion apparent on his face. “What’s wrong with our clothes?”

“Derek, those clothes are old and ruined. Plus, you need more of them,” Dave explained. Derek nodded.

“Okay.” Once the boys had finished with their drinks and the men had finished their breakfast, they took the boys upstairs to bathe.

“C-can I shower by myself?” Derek requested once they were outside Dave and Aaron’s bathroom. There was a look of fear in his eyes. Aaron’s heart clenched, but he forced himself to smile gently at the boy.

“Of course,” he answered. Derek nodded and headed into the bathroom, locking the door. Aaron heard the water turn on a few seconds later and headed to get ready himself. Once he was done, he took Dave’s place with Spencer, letting the other man get ready. Spencer was rattling on about the origin of baths and Aaron listened intently as he washed the boy’s hair. Once they were done with the bath, Aaron held out a towel and closed his eyes, letting Spencer step into it and wrap himself up to dry off. Aaron led Spencer back to the room the boys had slept in. While they were cleaning up, Aaron had put their underwear in the laundry and when it was done, he laid those and the boys’ clothes out for them.

“C-can you help me?” Spencer asked. Aaron turned around to see the boy in just his underwear, holding up his shirt and jeans.

“Sure, buddy. Okay, arms up.” Spencer complied and Aaron gently pulled the T-Shirt over his head, making sure it was settled before moving onto the pants. “Alright, I’m gonna put them on for you. Can you button and zip them yourself?” Aaron requested. Spencer nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Aaron helped Spencer step into his pants and pull them up. Once his hands were away, Spencer’s fumbled with the zipper and button for a few moments before finally getting them with a triumphant ‘ha!’. He brushed the wet hair out of his face and looked up at Aaron proudly.

“I did it!” he exclaimed, hands flapping.

“You did! I’m very proud of you,” Aaron praised. Spencer looked up at him, brown eyes wide and a deer-in-headlights look on his face. His head cocked to the side.

“You’re…proud of me?” he asked.

“Yeah. Do you know what that means?”

“Proud: feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one’s own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated,” Spencer relayed, brushing more hair out of his eyes. “Are we closely associated?”

“I think so,” Aaron replied. “What about you?”

“What _about_ me?”

“Do you think we’re closely associated?” Aaron asked, using the words Spencer had.

“I guess so.”

“Do you want to be?”

“Yeah.” Spencer was confused. No one had ever asked him what he thought or what he wanted. Besides Derek, that is. Was this man really nice? Or was it too good to be true like with Mike and Mark? He must have done something wrong, because Mr. Aaron was kneeling in front of him. Though there wasn’t anger on his face, it was something different, something softer. It was like the face Derek would make when Mike and Mark would take Spencer into the room.

“Spencer, are you okay?” Mr. Aaron asked. Spencer wiped at his teary eyes.

“I didn’t mean to make you sad,” he whimpered, eyes downcast.

“You didn’t make me sad, Spencer. I was just concerned, buddy,” Mr. Aaron assured. Spencer looked up, trying to see if he was lying. He couldn’t tell. Spencer sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Mr. Aaron tutted softly and leaned over to grab a tissue from the bedside table. Spencer wiped his nose with it.

“You were?” he asked and Mr. Aaron nodded. “Okay.” There was a pause as Spencer worked up the nerve to say what was on his mind. “Mr. Aaron?”

“Hmm?” The man looked back from where he’d turned to throw the tissue away.

“Can…can I give you a hug?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course, buddy.” Mr. Aaron opened his arms and Spencer fell into them, wrapping his own arms around the man’s neck.

“You’re not going to hurt us, are you?” he asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

“No. No, we’re not. We’re the good guys,” Mr. Aaron assured him.

“Does that make Mike and Mark the bad guys?”

“If they hurt you, then yes. It does make them bad guys.” Spencer pulled back.

“But you’ll put them away, right? Mr. Rossi said you’re a lawyer,” he noted.

“Yes, I do put away the bad guys. And so does Mr. Rossi.” Aaron heard the water turn off in the bathroom. “Why don’t we head downstairs so Derek can get ready?” he suggested. Spencer nodded and held his arms up to Aaron, who picked him up and carried him downstairs to the family room. He turned on the TV, which was showing a nature show. Spencer perked up and Aaron decided to keep the channel on, hoping there wasn’t anything too bloody on this program. Spencer didn’t seem to mind, though, completely enthralled in what he was watching. He was on the edge of his seat, literally, and Aaron kept an eye on him to make sure he wouldn’t fall off. Eventually, Derek and Dave came down, chatting quietly, Derek fiddling with the edge of his shirt. When he saw Spencer, he almost immediately relaxed, a smile stretching across his face. He smiled up at Dave and then sat on the other side of Spencer while Dave sat next to Aaron, kissing his cheek and intertwining their hands.

“You okay, Spence?” Derek asked. Spencer nodded, still focused on the show.

“I’m fine.” He looked over at Aaron and Dave, smiling at their intertwined hands. “They’re the good guys, Derek. They’re not gonna hurt us like Mike and Mark.” Derek just nodded, ruffling the boy’s hair gently as he settled down to watch the show. Once the episode was over, David turned to the kids.

“Are you ready to go shopping?” he asked. The boys nodded and David and Aaron helped them put on their shoes and get into the car. They drove to the mall about a half-hour away. At the first shop, Derek and Spencer wandered around slowly, each holding one of the adult’s hands. Derek automatically gravitated toward the graphic tees and football jerseys, dragging Dave with him, while Spencer’s eye caught on the button up shirts and sweater vests. They tried on a lot of clothes and bought any the boys found eye-catching.

“Are we gonna get to keep these?” Spencer asked, looking up at Aaron with wide brown eyes. The look alone was enough to make Aaron want to buy the whole store for the boy.

“Of course you can keep them.” The smile that stretched along Spencer’s face warmed Aaron’s heart and he gently ruffled the toddler’s hair. Spencer giggled and ducked away slightly before holding up his arms. Aaron hoisted him up and held him on his hip. Across the store, Derek and Dave were looking at some shoes.

“Why did you want to take us in?” Derek asked. Dave looked up from where he was tying the shoe to see if it would fit.

“Well, I couldn’t leave you to sleep in a cell, so I decided to take you,” he explained. “Plus, little boys need a stable, loving home.”

“You want to keep us?” Derek stood up and walked a few steps to test the shoes. He shook his head. “They’re too small.”

“Yes. Do _you_ want that?” Dave inquired as the boy sat back down and untied the laces.

“Spencer seems happy.”

“Forget about Spencer for a moment, Derek. What do _you_ want?” Derek froze. No one had ever asked him that before. He thought about it. What _did_ he want? Mr. Rossi and Mr. Aaron seemed nice, and they had shown him nothing but kindness his entire time in their care, but that was how it had started with all of his foster parents, but especially Mike and Mark. They always seemed so nice, but then within months showed their true colors. He remembered something his birth mother had always told him: “the first time someone shows you who they are, believe them”. Mr. Rossi and Mr. Aaron hadn’t shown their true colors yet, but maybe they had. If they had, then their true colors were good, bright, even.

“I want…” he started after a moment. “I want to stay in one place for a while. I don’t want to bounce around anymore.”

“We can do that,” Mr. Rossi offered. Derek looked up at him, eyes wide.

“You can?”

“We can,” the man confirmed. Derek felt tears dripping down his face. Could they really promise that? He listened intently as the man continued. “We’ve got a lot of room and still pay for the house. It would make no sense to move now.” Derek wiped at the tears in his eyes and then threw his arms around the man, who stumbled back, but caught himself and quickly wrapped the boy up in a hug. He ran a hand through Derek’s hair soothingly, shushing the boy quietly.

“Thank you,” Derek expressed, pulling away after a moment. Dave smiled at him and wiped away his tears with the pad of his thumbs.

“Let’s get you a size up, yeah?”

A half hour or so later, the pairs met up at the checkout, armed with various shirts, pants, socks, and shoes. The cashier gave them an odd look, but rung up the items nonetheless. Derek gulped as he watched the price soar, but Dave and Aaron assured him that it was no big deal. They could spend their money on whomever or whatever they wanted to and they wanted to spend their money on him and Spencer. Derek gripped Dave’s leg anyway, burying his face in the man’s hip so he wouldn’t see. Spencer, however, watched in awe as the number rose with each beep of the machine. He’d looked at the price tags on his own clothes, trying to get the least expensive items, despite Mr. Aaron’s warnings, and knew that his clothes and shoes had totalled $72.95, which left Derek’s expenses at $55.73. His clothes were about 56% of their total purchase. When he voiced this, Mr. Aaron, Mr. Rossi, and the cashier stared at him in awe. Spencer ducked his head into Mr. Aaron’s neck, feeling embarrassed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Spencer,” Mr. Rossi assured him. Spencer looked at him. “How did you do that math so quickly?”

“It was easy. I just did it in my head,” Spencer replied. When they looked confused, he explained his process.

“Do you always do math like that in your head?” Mr. Aaron asked him. Spencer nodded.

“It’s the easiest way to do it.” Mr. Aaron and Mr. Rossi just smiled at him and paid for the clothes. As they left the store, something caught Spencer’s eye. A small teddy bear in the window of a toy store. It was wearing a lab coat and holding a fake beaker in its hand. Spencer started to reach for it, but then pulled back again. This trip was just for clothes and necessities, toys weren’t necessary. But then he felt Mr. Aaron stop.

“Is there something in there you want, Spencer?” he inquired. Spencer shook his head.

“No, sir. I’m sorry.”

“Well, why don’t we go in and see if something catches your eye?” Mr. Rossi suggested. Spencer shrugged noncommittally. They headed into the store and Spencer couldn’t help his excitement, immediately reaching for a bear on the shelf that matched the one he’d seen in the window. Mr. Aaron picked it up.

“Is this what you were looking at?” Spencer couldn’t help it. He nodded and reached out for the bear, pulling it close to his chest when Mr. Aaron handed it over. Spencer snuggled with it for a moment before looking at Mr. Aaron with his best puppy dog eyes.

“Can I get it? Please? I’ll be good,” he begged, not wanting the fluffy animal out of his grasp.

“Of course you can, Spencer,” Mr. Aaron agreed and Spencer was taken aback. Mike and Mark never let them have toys. Said they were too messy.

“But you said we were only here for necessities,” Spencer reminded, though he clutched the toy tighter.

“We said clothes and supplies. Toys are supplies. And they’re very necessary to keep you entertained,” Mr. Aaron told him.

“Oh. Okay.” Spencer looked to where Derek was eyeing a foam football. “Can Derek get toys, too?”

“If he wants some, yeah. Do you want anything else?” Spencer squirmed and Aaron let him go, then followed as the boy walked around the toy store eyes wide with awe. He stopped at a model train set, watching the train go around the track, through the tunnel, over and under the bridge and around the mountain over and over. He was entranced with the toy and Aaron grabbed a box. He looked up and saw Dave with a few toys, as well. They shared a look and Aaron chuckled. He looked over and saw Spencer holding a kid’s chemistry set, eyes pleading.

“Please?” Aaron chuckled again and added the box to his pile. He extended his hand to Spencer, who took it and they met with Dave and Derek at the checkout. Noticing the many bags, the cashier smiled widely.

“Well, you guys are spoiled rotten, aren’t you?” she asked jokingly. “Your daddies must love you boys lots.”

“Daddies?” Derek asked, looking from one man to the other. They were both flustered and actively not meeting the cashier’s eyes. She seemed to notice, because she quickly finished the transaction. Even loaded down with bags, Aaron still carried Spencer, who was clutching his new toy closely and Dave held Derek’s hand, whose other hand was holding the foam football. At the exact same time, the boys’ stomach growled and they looked at the men sheepishly.

“Lunch time?” Aaron suggested, looking to Dave, who checked his watch.

“It has been six hours since breakfast,” he spoke in agreement. So the four headed to the food court. Aaron stayed with their bags while his husband, Derek, and Spencer grabbed their food, then got his own when they got back. After a bit, Dave noticed Derek wasn’t touching his drink. In fact, it was pushed to the farthest corner of his tray.

“Derek, are you alright?” Dave asked. Derek nodded, pushing noodles around his plate.

“I’m alright,” he assured, though he bit his lip nervously and shifted in his seat. Dave knew what was going on.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom?” Derek nodded sheepishly, not meeting the man’s eyes.

“Yes,” he mumbled. David stood up and extended a hand to him.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Derek’s head snapped up and he looked at the man, confused, but scrambled out of his seat and took Dave’s hand. “Do you need to go, too, Spencer?”

“I’ll try.” The youngest slid off his seat and took Dave’s other hand. They walked away, leaving Aaron alone to ponder as he ate. _Your daddies must love you boys lots_ . He wasn’t sure what to say to that. He didn’t want to deny the notion of being these boys’ father, but he _had_ just met them this morning. What if they didn’t want him to be their dad? But Derek’s reaction wasn’t disgusted or offended, it was confused. Maybe he was going through the same dilemma as Aaron. He didn’t ponder this for too long, as Dave, Derek, and Spencer came back. Once lunch was finished, they drove back home. Spencer fell asleep on the way and Derek looked to be quickly on his way. They carried the boys to their room, laying them down to sleep after getting them changed into more comfortable pants, at the least.

“I’m gonna head to the store, pick up some supplies while they sleep,” Aaron informed his husband as they stood outside the boys’ door. “You should get some rest, too. You were back just as late as them.” Dave nodded, too tired to argue, and headed to get changed, but not before pecking Aaron’s lips. Aaron smiled and headed back to the car to get some more supplies.

Forty-five minutes later, Spencer woke up, and, upon realizing why, shook Derek awake.

“Spencer, what’s wrong?” Derek asked groggily, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He saw his little brother sitting on his knees, a desperate look in his eyes.

“I gotta go to the bathroom, Derek,” Spencer whimpered, hands between his thighs.

“I dunno if we’re allowed, Spence.” Derek looked around nervously, trying to see if there was a lock on the door.

“Please, Derek. I really gotta go.” Spencer was on the verge of tears.

“Okay. C’mon.” Derek took his little brother’s hand and walked cautiously to the door, hand reaching out to the knob and ears perked for any sounds. He gently turned the knob. It wasn’t locked! Maybe it was a mistake? Derek didn’t have time to ponder this, because Spencer whimpered again. Derek pulled the door open and led Spencer over to the bathroom, eyes and ears peeled to detect any movement or sound. Spencer hurried into the bathroom and pushed the door closed. Derek stayed outside, just in case. A creak startled him and he jumped, turning to Mr. Rossi and Mr. Aaron’s room to find Mr. Rossi standing in the doorway, confusion apparent on his face.

“Derek? What’s wrong?” the man asked.

“Don’t hurt him!” Derek commanded, spreading himself out to cover as much of the door as he could. “It’s not his fault.”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone, Derek, I promise,” Mr. Rossi assured, slowly moving forward with his hands in the air. “Is Spencer okay?” There seemed to be genuine concern in his voice, though Derek had been fooled by that before.

“It’s not his fault,” he repeated. “He just needed to go to the bathroom.” Derek felt something in him activate. He was fully prepared to fight the man if he tried to hurt his little brother.

“That’s okay.” Derek was so taken aback that he paused, looking up at the man.

“What?”

“I said that’s okay. It’s okay if you guys need to go to the bathroom. You’re allowed,” Mr. Rossi explained, kneeling in front of Derek. When had the man gotten so close?

“We are?”

“Yes, you are. We should go over some rules when Spencer is done.” With that, Mr. Rossi left, heading down the stairs. Derek let out a heavy breath. A few moments later, Spencer emerged, face blotchy and wet. He’d obviously been crying.

“Are we in trouble?” he asked, sniffing.

“I don’t think so, Spence, but we’ve gotta see. C’mon, pretty boy.” Derek extended a hand and Spencer took it. They headed to the family room, but not before grabbing Spencer’s stuffed bear from their room. They found the men in the kitchen, putting away the food and chatting quietly. Derek cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“C’mon, guys,” Aaron instructed, aware of the anxious aura surrounding the boys. The four sat in the family room, facing each other.

“Are we in trouble?” Spencer asked again, clutching his teddy bear.

“No. No, of course not,” Dave assured. “We just want to lay out some rules.” The boys nodded, relaxing slightly, though still tense.

“We wanted you to know that this is now your house, too,” Aaron informed. “You can have food or drinks any time you want and you can go to the bathroom whenever you need. There are no restrictions on those things.”

“If you need or want anything, within reason, just ask. I’d like to believe we’re quite reasonable people.”

“Those are the only rules we have.” The boys smiled.

“You’re not mad at us?” Derek asked.

“No, of course not. You’ve done nothing wrong.” He smiled widely and moved to crawl into Dave’s lap while Spencer crawled into Aaron’s. The men accepted their presence, wrapping them up.

“Can we watch a movie?” Spencer asked.

“Sure.” Aaron pulled up Netflix and picked out a good kid’s movie. There would probably be a few setbacks along the way, but both Aaron and Dave were sure they could handle it.


	3. Would You Mind?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Parents, birth or not, are supposed to love you like a mom and dad would.”  
> “Or like two dads would?”  
> “Yeah. Like two dads would.”  
> “Can I.” He paused, swallowed the anxiety in his chest. “Can I call you Papa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, I've been busy and tired. But if anyone has any ideas for this story or the whole series, I'll be happy to take them. I need some inspiration. Without further ado, enjoy!

After tucking the boys into bed, Dave and Aaron turned in for the night themselves. As they laid in bed, Aaron remembered something.

“Hey, what did you make of what the toy store cashier said?” he asked.

“I don’t think that’s the most terrible idea, but it can only be if they want it,” Dave replied.

“Of course,” Aaron agreed. “Do you think they’d want that?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Well, Derek didn’t seem too adverse to the idea when she said it and I’m not sure about Spencer, but I don’t think he was paying too much attention,” Aaron relayed.

“And you say you’re not a profiler,” Dave teased.

“Maybe I picked up a few things from you,” Aaron replied, just as teasingly. There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, this time more seriously. “I think I could really do this whole ‘dad’ thing.”

“Me too. I was talking with Derek and he said he wanted to stay in one place for a while. When I told him we could do that, he seemed relieved, overjoyed even,” Dave told his husband. “But this isn’t going to be easy to do. These kids are traumatised, Aaron.”

“I know, Dave. It breaks my heart, but I want to do everything in my power to love these kids.”

“Me too, Aaron. Me too.”

***

It was just past four in the morning when they woke to sobbing from down the hall. They shared a look before throwing back the covers and rushing to the boys’ bedroom. They steeled themselves to be gentle, yet strong, then opened the door. The boys were sitting up, Derek comforting a crying Spencer, though there were tear tracks on his own cheeks. Dave and Aaron glanced around for a second and noticed why Spencer was crying. There was a wet spot on the front of Spencer’s pajama pants and a matching one on the sheets. What they had to deduce, now, was why Derek was crying. Aaron went to Spencer and Dave went to Derek.

“Hey, Spencer. Can I help you get cleaned up?” Aaron asked, looking at both Spencer and Derek for permission. Spencer nodded and slipped out of Derek’s grasp. Derek gave his hand a squeeze, looking at Aaron with a “protect my brother” look. Aaron nodded and picked up Spencer, carrying him out of the room.

“Derek, can I sit here?” Dave questioned, pointing to the section of the bed next to the boy. Derek nodded and Dave sat down. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Spencer had a nightmare and an accident,” Derek replied.

“I meant to you, Derek. Did you have a bad dream?” Dave clarified. Derek looked down at his hands and nodded.

“It was scary,” he murmured, tears starting again. “I was back in the room they held us in. I couldn’t find Spencer anywhere, but the door was open. Then, I heard screaming and I tried to run toward it, but it kept getting farther and farther away and then Mike came out and then I woke up and Spencer was crying and I had to wake him up.”

“I’m sorry. You must have been very scared,” Dave sympathized.

“I was,” Derek confirmed, sniffing. He wasn’t supposed to cry. He wanted to be comforted, though, like his mom and dad would when he had nightmares before. Mr. Rossi’s lap looked inviting and he took a chance and crawled into it. Unlike some of his previous foster parents, Mr. Rossi didn’t shove him away or hit him, instead, he wrapped his arms around Derek and started a slow rocking motion, accompanied by quiet shushing and gentle hair smoothing.

“You’re very brave, Derek,” Mr. Rossi told him. Derek looked up at him.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” Mr. Rossi confirmed. “You’ve been very brave for a long time. You’re brave for taking care of Spencer and you’re brave for taking care of yourself and you’re _especially_ brave for telling me what happened and letting me help you. It takes a lot of courage to tell others what you need.” Derek nodded, taking in the information and building up his courage to ask the man something.

“Mr. Rossi?” he asked a few minutes later. The man looked down at him with a soft smile.

“Hmm?”

“Can…can I stay in your room tonight?” Derek requested. “I don’t wanna be alone.” He braced himself for rejection and was only a little surprised when the man didn’t. If he thought about it, he didn’t think this man could harm anyone, but especially not him or Spencer.

“Of course, Derek.” Mr. Rossi stood up, Derek still in his arms, and walked back to his room, laying the boy down before lying down himself. Back across the hallway, Aaron gently scrubbed Spencer’s hair and the boy leaned into the touch.

“Are you feeling okay, buddy?” Aaron asked. Spencer just shrugged.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s okay, Spencer. Accidents and bad dreams happen. Do you wanna talk about it?” Aaron offered.

“It was really scary, sir,” Spencer whimpered. “They took me into the room again. The room with all the needles and sharp stuff. They strapped me down to the table and started to poke and prod me with the needles. They said they would cure me.” Aaron didn’t have to ask who “they” were.

“Of what?” Aaron couldn’t help his curiosity, but Spencer didn’t seem to mind.

“Schizophrenia. My mommy had it. They also said they’d get rid of my autism.” Spencer spoke quietly, as if unsure how Aaron would feel about this.

“Well, that wasn’t very good of them, was it?” The tension flowed out of Spencer’s body.

“They were the bad guys.” Aaron nodded in agreement, remembering their conversation from the day before. There was a pause before Aaron spoke again.

“Hey, Spencer?” The boy looked up. “Lean your head back. Have you ever heard of stimming?” Spencer nodded.

“The term ‘stimming’ is short for self-stimulatory behavior and is sometimes also called ‘stereotypic’ behavior. In a person with autism, stimming usually refers to specific behaviors that include hand-flapping, rocking, spinning, or repetition of words and phrases,” he recited as Aaron washed the shampoo out of his hair.

“Yeah. Do you ever do that?” Aaron asked.

“I used to, but they’d hurt my hands when I did,” Spencer replied, hands wringing together in his lap while the water drained from the tub.

“Well, we won’t do that.” Aaron held out a towel and Spencer stepped into it, letting the man wrap him up. “If you want to stim, you can.” Immediately, Spencer’s hand started to flap at his side as they walked into his and Derek’s room. Aaron turned around while Spencer put on new underwear, then helped the boy put on a new set of pajamas with beakers on them.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Spencer asked, hand coming up to pick at his bottom lip as his other held his teddy bear.

“Of course, buddy.” Aaron picked up the boy and carried him to his and Dave’s room. He saw Derek curled up next to Dave and both of them sleeping and he smiled. He set the boy down under the covers and climbed in next to him.

***

Derek woke up slowly, eyes blinking open as he remembered the events of the previous night. He was trying to remember if he’d dreamt the whole thing, but the protective arm wrapped around him and the two men snoring told him otherwise. His heart rate picked up slightly at the thought that he’d left Spencer alone and probably scared, but then a small body snuggled closer to his and Derek let out a breath: Spencer must have had the exact same idea.

Derek settled down, burying his head in Mr. Rossi’s chest, relishing in the warmth from the man. He felt safe, felt loved, like he hadn’t since he’d been with his mom and dad. He thought back to what the cashier at the toy store had said yesterday. _Well, you guys are spoiled rotten, aren’t you? Your daddies must love you boys lots_ . He’d looked at Mr. Rossi and Mr. Aaron, but he couldn’t tell what they thought of the title. Did they want to be his dads, or were they looking away because they _didn’t_ want that? He wasn’t sure and it scared him to ask.

Once upon a time, he’d asked one of his foster parents if he could call them “mom” and “dad” and they’d laughed at him and said he’d never be their _real_ son, so _no_ , he couldn’t call them “mom” and “dad” and _no_ , he couldn’t sleep with them again, and _please_ _stop_ being a baby. Tears slowly fell down his face.

“What’s wrong, Derek?” he heard the man ask and looked up, sniffling.

“I was just thinking about one of my foster families. They didn’t let me call them ‘mom’ or ‘dad’,” Derek told him. He still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Maybe the man would laugh at him and call him a baby and kick him out of bed for being so childish. Maybe he’d just pull Derek closer and tell him everything was going to be alright. Derek hoped it was the latter.

“Well, that’s not right.” Mr. Rossi’s voice snapped Derek out of his thoughts. “Parents, birth or not, are supposed to love you like a mom and dad would.”

“Or like two dads would?” Derek asked into the man’s chest, not looking at him. He felt the man’s heart beat quicken slightly, then return to normal with a deep breath.

“Yeah. Like two dads would,” Mr. Rossi confirmed, sitting up. Derek sat up with him, careful not to wake Spencer or Mr. Aaron. He rubbed his eyes and prepared himself to venture into unknown territory.

“Like you will?” he asked, averting his gaze to stare at the comforter. Mr. Rossi hooked a finger under his chin and lifted gently, making Derek look at him. A smile was on his face.

“Just like we will, if you want us to,” he replied. Derek smiled and threw himself onto the man, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck. Neither said anything, but the hand running up and down Derek’s back spoke a million words. It felt like a lifetime in a second before Derek spoke up again.

“Can I.” He paused, swallowed the anxiety in his chest. “Can I call you Papa?” he asked, looking up at the man. There was a pause and Derek wondered if he’d messed up. Maybe he’d misread what Mr. Rossi had said. Maybe it was too soon for all of this. Maybe he’d been misreading the whole situation and neither man wanted to keep him at all. Maybe-

“Of course you can, Derek,” Mr. Rossi granted, a wide smile on his face. “Do you wanna help me make breakfast?” Derek nodded and let the man pick him up and set him on his feet on the ground, then followed the man down the stairs and to the kitchen. Mr. Rossi showed him how to make biscuits from scratch, substituting the milk for soy milk.

“Are we gonna get to go to school, Papa?” Derek asked, testing out the new nomer as they rolled the dough out.

“Sure. We’ll get you enrolled as soon as possible. The new year should be starting soon, so you won’t have to be in the middle of the year,” Mr. Rossi told him, smiling at his dough. “That’s a very good job, Derek. Now, we’ll spread them into sheets and cut the biscuits from them.”

“Do you make biscuits a lot?”

“When I get the chance. Mr. Aaron likes them a lot.”

“Do you think he’d mind if I called him Dad?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Derek looked up, following his papa’s eyes to the stairs where Mr. Aaron was holding Spencer.

“Ask me what?” he questioned, setting Spencer on one of the stools. Derek gulped and looked up at Mr. Rossi, who just smiled and nodded.

“Ask if you would mind if we call you Dad,” Derek told Mr. Aaron, focused only on the biscuits he was putting on the baking sheet.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Mr. Aaron told him, smiling. Derek smiled back.

“Does that mean Mr. Rossi is Papa?” Spencer asked, standing on the chair to see over the counter.

“Mmhmm,” Papa confirmed. “Don’t stand on the chair Spencer, it’ll fall.” He scooped the boy up and righted the stool.

“I just wanted to see what you were doing,” Spencer mumbled in apology.

“That’s alright. I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Papa explained. “Do you want to cut out some biscuits, _passerotto_?”

“Yes, please!”

“What does _passerotto_ mean?” Derek asked as Dad placed a stool between him and Papa for Spencer to stand on.

“It’s Italian for ‘little sparrow’.”

“Is that my nickname?” Spencer asked.

“It is, _passerotto_ ,” Papa confirmed, smiling down at him as Spencer cut into the dough with the cutter. Derek twisted his hands together nervously.

“Can I get a nickname?” he requested. Papa smiled at him.

“Of course, _topolino_. That one means ‘little mouse’.” Derek smiled widely. His papa had a nickname for him. When the biscuits were in the oven, Papa sent him and Spencer to sit with Dad, who was watching nature shows. Spencer bounced on his toes and flapped his hands excitedly. Derek was worried that they were gonna hurt his hands, but neither Dad nor Papa batted an eye. Derek shrugged and clambered up onto the couch and snuggled into Dad’s side. Dad wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Spencer was sat at the edge of the couch, staring intently at the screen. His eyes were squinted like he couldn’t see the screen. Derek had never seen him with glasses, but Spencer had only been just under two when he’d come to The Room.

“Spencer, can you see the screen?” Dad asked, taking the question right from Derek’s mind. Spencer looked up and shook his head.

“It’s blurry,” he told the man.

“Spencer, have you ever been to an eye doctor?”

“No.”

“Would you mind if we went to one? To help you see better?” Dad offered. Spencer nodded vigorously.

“Yes, please!”

“Okay. I’ll schedule an appointment after breakfast,” Dad vowed. Spencer nodded and clambered into the man’s lap. After a breakfast of biscuits and fruit with honey, Dad and Papa left Derek and Spencer to their own devices, Dad to call the eye doctor and Papa to call the closest schools to see about their openings.

 _“Alright. How old are your kids, Mr. Rossi?”_ the woman on the other end asked. Dave’s heart swelled at the thought. _His kids_. Wow.

“Four and ten.”

 _“Okay. Let me check. We have an opening in fifth grade, but I’m not sure about kindergarten,”_ she told him. Dave chuckled at the thought of Spencer in kindergarten. With all of his knowledge, he’d be bored learning how to count and form basic sentences.

“I don’t think the youngest should be in kindergarten,” he informed the secretary. “Is there a test he can take to see where his intelligence is at?”

 _“For our gifted students, we have them take placement tests to see if they should be a grade above. We can administer one of those to him, if you’d like_.”

“Yes, that’d be amazing.”

 _“Okay. Placement tests start tomorrow and last for two weeks. Is there any date that works best for you?”_ Aaron walked back in with a questioning look.

‘Placement test for Spencer,’ Dave mouthed. Aaron nodded. ‘What time works?’

‘Tomorrow after noon,’ Aaron mouthed back. Dave nodded.

“Do you have any availabilities tomorrow after noon?”

 _“Yes. We have a one p.m. and a two p.m.”_ Dave relayed that to Aaron, who suggested the two p.m. time.

“Two p.m. will work best,” Dave answered the woman.

“Alright, Mr. Rossi. Two p.m. tomorrow will be your son’s placement test,” she confirmed before hanging up.

“Is Spencer’s eye appointment at noon?” Dave asked. Aaron nodded.

“And just for good measure, I got Derek an appointment for 12:30.” They went back downstairs, where a nature show was just finishing.

“There’s a park not far from here,” Dave announced. “Do you guys want to go?” Both boys nodded and Aaron turned off the TV before they could get invested in another episode.

“Alright, go get dressed, okay?” he instructed. The boys nodded and headed upstairs. Spencer stopped at the stairs.

“Daddy, will you help me?” he asked, hands wringing together in front of him. Aaron nodded.

“Of course, buddy.” He took the four year old’s hand and led him upstairs, Dave not far behind them. After Derek got dressed, Spencer picked out an outfit for himself. He picked a dark blue-grey button up shirt with short sleeves, black slacks, a black tie, one blue striped sock and one gray plain sock. Aaron helped him button up his shirt, tie his tie, and pull up his pants, but Spencer put on his own socks and buttoned and zipped his pants himself. Aaron went to get dressed himself and Spencer made his way down the stairs to the front hall where Derek was putting on his shoes. Spencer sat down and slipped on his own shoes.

“Papa, can you help me tie my shoes?” he asked and the man nodded, kneeling down. Spencer watched the man tie his shoe, then mimicked the actions with the other. He showed his papa his handiwork and the man smiled.

“That’s very good, Spencer,” Papa praised, ruffling his hair. Spencer smiled and giggled. He stood up and as soon as Daddy got back, fully dressed, they left the house, walking the two blocks to the park. It was a big park, bigger than the ones Spencer had seen in pictures. There were two sections to it, one for smaller kids like him that had shorter slides, swings, and monkey bars than the other section for big kids like Derek. Between the two was a giant pirate ship and surrounding the whole park was a large grassy area with lots of trees, bushes, and hills. Some older kids noticed the foam football Derek had brought with him and came over.

“Do you play football?” one asked.

“A little,” Derek replied.

“Do you want to play with us? We have a real ball,” the other offered.

“Sure. Can Spencer play, too?” Derek inquired, gesturing to Spencer. The other boys frowned.

“He’s too little. He’ll get hurt,” the first responded.

“Oh.” Derek looked down at Spencer sadly.

“It’s okay, Derek. You can go. I didn’t really want to play, anyway,” Spencer assured.

“Okay.” Derek handed Spencer the foam football and took off with the other kids. Spencer wandered around the younger kids’ section of the park, feeling lost. Yeah, he hadn’t wanted to play football, but he’d still wanted to play with Derek. He wasn’t good at making friends, always felt awkward around the other kids in the house and he was kind of glad he didn’t see them often.

Spencer found himself in the sandbox, making shapes with a stick he’d found. Suddenly, someone cleared their throat above him. Spencer looked up to see a boy around his age with dark hair and bright eyes smiling at him.

“I was wondering if you wanted to play hide and seek tag,” the boy offered as an explanation to why he’d interrupted Spencer. “We need one more person.”

“Hide and seek tag?” Spencer questioned.

“Yeah. It’s like hide and seek, except you have to tag the person you find to make them it,” the boy explained. Spencer cocked his head to the side. “You know what hide and seek is, right?”

“Hide and seek is a children’s game in which one or more players hide and the other or others have to look for them,” Spencer recited.

“You talk funny,” the boy pointed out. “Do you wanna play or not?”

“Sure.” Spencer stood up, brushing off his hands on his pants. “My name’s Spencer. What’s yours?”

“Riley. C’mon, we’re gonna play just over that hill over there.” Riley gestured to the grassy area. It was far away from Spencer’s dads. He looked back at them and Papa caught his eye and waved. Spencer smiled and waved back.

“Is that your Daddy?” Riley asked.

“No. That’s my Papa. My Daddy’s sitting next to him,” Spencer answered.

“Oh.” Spencer frowned, not sure if Riley was okay with him having two daddies or not.

“Same-sex couples have been legal in the United States since June 26th, 2015 and in Virginia since October 6th, 2014. And on October 10th, 2014, Governor McAuliffe issued a bulletin to the local divisions of social services stating that same-sex couples could legally adopt,” Spencer recited.

“I didn’t know that,” Riley admitted. “But I wasn’t saying having two daddies is bad. I have two mommies.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s play.” With that, Riley ran out of the sandbox and Spencer followed him, careful to not get sand in his shoes. Riley introduced him to a few other kids: Taylor, Martin, William, and Finn.

“Can we use your ball so we know who’s _it_?” Taylor asked.

“It’s my brother’s, so I gotta get it back before I leave,” Spencer responded, handing over the ball to her.

“You will, don’t worry,” she vowed. “I’ll be _it_ first, everyone go hide.” Everyone else took off and Spencer followed, hiding under a bush as he listened for Taylor. He figured he had two options for when she got there: stay under the bush or run. Staying hidden under the bush would be safer, but it would be less fun. For some reason, he wanted to get caught, so he decided that running would be his better option. When Taylor got close to his hiding place, he darted from it quickly. Taylor ran after him and Spencer ran faster, relishing in the feeling of the wind in his hair and the air flowing in and out of his lungs. When she caught him, they both stopped to catch their breath, sitting down for a moment.

“You’re fast,” Taylor panted, handing him the ball and standing up.

“You are, too.” Spencer stood up as well, going to the _it_ tree, covering his eyes and counting to ten before sneaking off to find the others. He tried to be as quiet as possible and found Riley hiding behind a tree. The other boy ran, but Spencer caught up to him quickly and tapped him gently with the football. After a few more turns, Spencer was running from Riley again, wind flowing through their hair. Spencer looked back to see how far away the other boy was and accidentally tripped over a tree root, skidding across the dirt patch near it. His hands, knees, and chin stung and all he wanted was his daddies to hug him and tell him he’d be okay.

“Spencer, are you okay?” Riley asked, grabbing his elbow and helping him sit up. Spencer started to cry, tears flowing down his face and dripping into the scrape on his chin, only making him cry more. The other kids came out of their hiding place and sat next to him, offering different levels of comfort. Taylor rubbed his back and shushed him gently.

“I want my Papa,” Spencer whined, hands coming up and flapping near his ears. The sound of the air directly in his ears calmed him a bit, but it stung his hands to flap them and he cried more. His pants were ripped at the knee and dirty. Would Papa and Daddy be mad at him?

“I’ll get my Mommy,” Riley spoke before running off. Taylor kept rubbing Spencer’s back as the boy sobbed, hands flapping still. Riley came back a few seconds later with a woman with dark hair and bright eyes like Riley’s in tow.

“Hi sweetie. Are you Spencer?” she asked, kneeling down. Spencer nodded. “Can I help you get patched up?” Spencer shook his head.

“I want my Papa,” he repeated.

“Okay. Where’s your Papa?” Spencer pointed over the hill to where he’d last seen them.

“They’re by the front.” The woman disappeared in that direction. She spotted the only people sitting near the sign.

“Are you Spencer’s Papa?” she asked. The men sat up straighter, anxious looks on their faces.

“I am, what happened?” the older one replied.

“My son said he fell. He wants you,” she told him. He turned to the other man.

“Can you get the first aid kit from home?” he requested. The other man nodded and both stood up, heading in different directions. The older man followed her over the hill and rushed over to Spencer, who held his arms up for the man.

“Papa, it hurts,” Spencer whined. Dave felt his heart clench as he picked up his son.

“I know, _passerotto_ ,” he soothed, feeling Spencer sob into his shoulder. “Daddy’s getting the first aid kit, now, okay?” The boy nodded. Dave mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the woman and started to walk off when a small voice stopped him.

“Wait! His football!” One of the boys rushed over, handing Dave Derek’s foam football. “It’s his brother’s.”

“Thank you.” Dave took the football and went back to where he and Aaron had set up. His husband was back now with the first aid kit and some other supplies, including Spencer’s bear. Dave set Spencer down on the blanket they’d brought with them and the boy went, albeit reluctantly. He was still crying, though less now and Dave stayed close to comfort him.

“Spencer, can you let me see your hands so I can patch them up?” Aaron asked. Spencer nodded and his hands finally stopped flapping as he let Daddy look at them. Daddy opened a water bottle and poured some of the contents of it on Spencer’s hands and knees to clear the dirt away. Then, he pulled an antiseptic wipe from the first aid kit and wiped at Spencer’s hands with it. Spencer hissed, but didn’t pull his hands away. He knew it had to hurt to get better. He couldn’t help the tears flowing down his face, though. They stung his chin and he brought his arm up to wipe them away. Daddy patched up his knees, hands, and chin with animal themed bandaids and Papa rubbed his back the entire time.

“Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, Papa,” Spencer expressed, hugging each man in turn.

“Of course, Spencer,” they replied. Spencer climbed into his Daddy’s lap, feeling exhausted.

“Have some water, baby,” Daddy instructed, holding out the water bottle. Spencer grabbed it and took slow sips. When he handed it back, Daddy put the cap back on and set the bottle aside. Spencer curled up in his daddy’s lap and fell asleep, clutching his bear to his chest. He was shaken awake a while later.

“We’re going home, _passerotto_ ,” Papa whispered. Spencer blinked, trying to process the information.

“Okay,” he replied groggily. He raised his arms to Daddy and felt himself being lifted up and carried back the two blocks to home.

“Hey, Spence, do you want to change into your pajamas?” Daddy asked. Spencer nodded, his thumb making its way into his mouth, which it hadn’t done since he’d gotten to The Room. He let Daddy take off his day clothes and change him into pajamas, too tired to even try to take off his own pants. He trusted Daddy, though. Daddy tucked him under the covers, kissed his forehead and left, keeping the door cracked. Spencer cuddled close to his stuffed bear. Even though he’d gotten hurt it had been a good day. Maybe he could see his friends again soon.


	4. Little Genius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fifth grade?” Aaron asked, eyes wide.  
> “We knew he was smart,” Dave replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. This will be the last consecutive chapter of this work, because I've run out of inspiration. I'm sorry if I didn't add in your ideas. I might make one shots, but I can't keep up this timeline.
> 
> Also, I am not proud to admit I really don't know how to spell Tyrannosaurus.
> 
> Enjoy!

When Spencer woke, the sun was setting outside, but the light had been turned on in the hallway. He could hear Daddy, Papa and Derek laughing downstairs. He climbed out of bed and headed toward the sound, making a pit stop in the bathroom before going downstairs, teddy bear hanging from one hand. His family was sitting at the high counter, laughing happily. Papa looked up as he shuffled in.

“Evening, _passerotto_ ,” he greeted. “Are you hungry?” Spencer nodded and climbed up onto one of the stools as Daddy held it steady.

“Mmhmm,” he mumbled, rubbing at his eye with one fist.

“Good, ‘cause dinner’s almost ready.” Spencer felt his stomach growl. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast earlier.

“How was your nap, baby?” Daddy asked.

“It was good,” Spencer replied. “Did you know that polyphasic sleep is highly beneficial to cognitive function?”

“I did not know that. Guess they should have naps throughout school, not just in younger grades.”

“Yeah, I’d love to take naps throughout the day,” Derek expressed.

“Then, maybe that should be a rule,” Papa announced. “After work and school, we take a nap, how does that sound?” Spencer and Derek nodded vigorously.

“Then it’s settled,” Daddy declared. “Nap time every day.” Papa set plates of pasta in front of each of them, then settled with his own on the other side of Derek. They ate quickly, talking and laughing and when they were done, they watched a couple movies. Despite his earlier nap, Spencer fell asleep during the second movie. Aaron carried Spencer up to their room and Dave followed behind Derek.

***

“Spencer Reid?” the eye doctor asked, looking up from her clipboard. Spencer looked up from the book he was reading. He slid off the chair and followed the woman into a room, Aaron behind him. She conducted all of the tests and Spencer held Aaron’s hand when he got the puff of air in his eyes. When the tests were done and he had his prescription, he picked out a pair of glasses with large lenses and black and wire frames.

“Okay. These should be ready within the next day or two. We’ll give you a call when they are,” the doctor told Aaron.

“Thank you so much.”

“Where are Papa and Derek?” Spencer asked, looking around the waiting room where he had last seen them.

“Derek’s getting his eyes checked, too, just in case,” Daddy replied. “While they do that, we’re gonna head to the school so we can find out which grade you’re gonna be in.” Spencer nodded and climbed into the backseat and Daddy buckled him in.

“Grade?” he questioned, cocking his head to the side.

“Well, I don’t think you need to be re-learning things you already know and school should be a place to learn things,” Daddy informed him. “So, we’re gonna see what you already know and what you can learn to determine where you’ll learn best.”

“Okay.” The school was just ten minutes away from the eye doctor and when they got there, Daddy unbuckled him from his carseat and held his hand as they made their way into the school. Spencer looked around in awe. He’d never been in a school, he was two when he was taken to The Room. But he’d heard Derek talk about his schooling and it sounded fun. A whole place designed for learning!

“Hi! You must be Aaron and Spencer! It’s so nice to meet you! My name is Mrs. Libella,” a woman greeted, smiling widely at them. Spencer saw Daddy shake her hand and waved shyly at her, hiding behind his daddy’s leg.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Daddy replied. “How will this work?”

“So it’s just a simple test. We have questions from all the grade levels in it, so just answer them as best as you can, okay, Spencer?” the woman told them, leading them back to a small room. Spencer hesitated to go in. What if this was a trick? What if they were going to send him back to The Room? Tears rushed down his face and Daddy knelt in front of him.

“Spencer, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t wanna go back to The Room. I'll be good, I swear!” Spencer promised, hoping to change their minds.

“Oh, buddy. You’re not going back there, I promise,” Daddy vowed. Spencer still couldn’t help the tears tracking down his cheeks. He nodded and lifted his arms up to be picked up, which Daddy did, wrapping him in a hug.

“We can go to the bigger conference room, if you’d like, Spencer,” Mrs. Libella offered, a kind smile on her face. Spencer was taken aback, he was still getting used to being asked what he wanted, but nodded anyway, hiding in his daddy’s neck. He felt them start to walk away and looked up when they stopped. This room was much bigger and had a wall of windows facing them. Maybe if Mike and Mark took him, the grownups would see this time and stop them.

“Can I stay with him?” Daddy inquired. Mrs. Libella nodded.

“Of course. Are you ready Spencer?” Spencer nodded.

“Yes, ma’am,” he whispered as Daddy set him down in one of the big chairs and settled in one across the table.

“Alright. Here’s a pencil for you. You can start when you’re ready,” Mrs. Libella instructed, setting the materials in front of him. Spencer nodded and picked up the pencil and started his test. The first part was pretty easy, it was just identifying numbers. Then there was addition and subtraction, which was also really easy, then multiplication and division. The end of the test was a bit difficult, because he’d never learned decimals or how to multiply large numbers. Still, he did his best and finished within fifteen minutes, setting down his pencil next to the paper. The reading test was similar, except he was finished in just under 10 minutes.

“Alright! Thank you so much, Spencer!” Mrs. Libella exclaimed, taking his test. “We’ll send your daddies the results by tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Spencer waved with one hand while his other slipped into his daddy’s.

“Alright. Let’s go pick up Papa and Derek, yeah?” Spencer nodded.

***

“Aaron, come here. Spencer’s test results are here,” Dave called to the kitchen. Aaron wiped his hands on a towel and leaned over the couch his husband was sitting on. They both looked at the results, shocked.

“Fifth grade?” Aaron asked, eyes wide.

“We knew he was smart,” Dave replied.

“Yeah, but five grades older? That’s almost ridiculous.”

“I guess we’ve got our own little genius on our hands,” Dave remarked. Aaron nodded at that.

“He’s even in the Gifted and Talented Program for reading,” he pointed out.

“How long did the reading test take?”

“Barely ten minutes.”

“Hmm.” They didn’t have any more time to discuss it, because Derek rushed into the room, throwing himself onto the bed between the two, hiding his face in the pillows.

“Are you alright, _topolino_?” Dave asked, bringing a gentle hand over to rub Derek’s shaking shoulders. Derek looked up and both men saw that he wasn’t crying, but laughing. He raised a finger to his lips.

“Shh! I’m hiding from the dinosaur,” he told them.

“Dinosaur?” Aaron repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

“Rawr!” They turned to see Spencer coming toward them, wearing an oversized green hoodie (probably one of Derek’s) with leaves in his hair to make it green. “I’m a dinosaur!”

“Oh? What kind of dinosaur?”

“A Tyrannosaurus Rex!” Spencer jumped up onto the bed and crawled onto Derek, cuddling him tightly. “Got you!”

“Oh no! I’ve been captured by the scary T-Rex! Dad! Papa! Help!” Derek cried, feigning capture. Dad grabbed Spencer off of Derek and scooped him up, tickling him. Derek watched as Papa set aside his computer and reached toward him, fingers wiggling. Derek shrieked with laughter at his Papa’s tickling hands. He was happy now. This was his family.

This was his home.


End file.
